Branded
by Semper Fi Sweatshirt
Summary: Lea MacBaine watched the MCRT team with growing interest, further distracting her from the report she should be doing. - Chris Pacci has a hard time believing Kate has a tattoo.


**Title: **Branded

**Author: **Semper Fi Sweatshirt

**Summary: **Lea MacBaine watched the MCRT with growing interest, further distracting her from the report she should be doing. - Chris Pacci has a hard time believing Kate has a tattoo.

**Characters: **Chris Pacci and OC. Includes mentions of Anthony DiNozzo and Caitlyn Todd.

**Rating: **K+

**Word Count: **475

**Warnings: **None.

**Note from the Author's Desk: **My musings on the guy behind Kate's desk and his partner. Thanks to Emma for reading through this even though she understood none of it. It was never stated that Pacci didn't have a partner, therefore I took my liberties. I view NCIS as an agency with teams, partners and solo agents. I gave Pacci a partner who was on vacation at the time of his death. That being said I am unsure whether the tattoo episode occurs before or after Pacci's death which for the sake of this story occurs after the episode where Kate's tattoo is mentioned.

**Disclaimer: **Any recognizable trademarks belong to their respective owners. Any and all Original Characters (OCs) (and there are quite a few of them) are mine to claim.

* * *

Lea MacBaine watched the MCRT with growing interest, further distracting her from the report she _should_ be doing. Chris Pacci, her current partner- she really needed to stop saying current. She was pretty sure she was stuck with him- elbowed her in the ribs, drawing her attention away from Kate and Tony.

"What's so interesting about DiNozzo goofing off?"

"Nothing. He's just being immature about Kate's tattoo." Lea looked toward Kate and Tony.

"Kate has a tattoo?"

Lea hummed noncommittally and returned to her report. Chris's eyes went almost comically wide on confirmation of the highly unbelievable fact.

"You know?"

"Yeah. I was there," Lea said irritably. Her hand snapped over her mouth.

"You were there?" Chris leaned forward.

Recognizing that her partner was unlikely to relent, Lea elaborated. "Girl's night out. Me, Ciara, Mara, Lynn, Abby, Cathy, Kate, Jenny, Michaela, Rochelle, Julia and Portia."

"Quite crew," Chris commented.

"Twelve of us. The Dragon's Cave has big tables," Lea said dryly.

Chris let out a low whistle. "The Dragon's Cave. How do you get that on an NCIS salary?"

"Jenny and I paid."

"Jenny and you are on NCIS salaries."

"Rich aunts," Lea deadpanned.

"Why did you go out anyway?"

"Girl's night out. Like I said. Outside legal and accounting, there are very few girls in this building."

"Why didn't legal and accounting go?"

Lea checked her nonexistent watch. "Oops. Looks like you've gone over your five question limit. Now do your report." Lea turned away, attempting to end the conversation.

"You know I'm the senior agent right?"

"Mhmm." Lea half ignored Chris.

"So, I have seniority. You can't tell me what to do."

Lea snorted. "When you stop acting like you're three, I'll stop treating you like you're three."

"Fine," Chris humphed and finally returned to his report.

Five minutes later, Lea and Chris watched Tony and Kate leave with their backpacks on their shoulders.

"So where's Kate's tattoo?"

"Same place as mine," Lea said mysteriously.

"Where's yours?"

"Same place as Ciara's."

"Where's Ciara's?"

"Same place as Lynn's."

"Where's Lynn's?"

"Same place as Cathy's."

"Cathy's?"

"Jenny's."

"Jenny's?"

"Rochelle's."

"Rochelle's?"

"Mara's."

"Mara's?"

"Julia's."

"Julia's?"

"Portia's?"

"Portia's?"

"Micahela's"

Michaela's?"

"Same place as Abby's."

"But Abby's got like a thousand tattoos!" Chris exclaimed. Lea winked.

Five minutes later the questioning continued. "What is it of?"

"What?"

"Your tattoo. Kate's. Abby's new one. Please tell me none of you got a butterfly!"

"Oh. They're the same as the others."

"You guys got _branded_ together," Chris said disbelievingly.

"Mhmm."

"No way in hell."

"You're probably right. But we weren't in hell."

Lea rose from her seat as her report printed from the printer she and Chris shared with Agents Schmidt and Lloyd. Chris deflated back into his seat. Suddenly something dawned on him.

"Who the hell is Jenny?" Lea raised an eyebrow at him. "No seriously."

Lea just laughed.


End file.
